


A Knight's Duty

by enoki_09



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, BAMF Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Champions' Abilites, Champions' Spirits Stay, Hurt Link (Legend of Zelda), Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Wild, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mipha's Grace (Legend of Zelda), Misunderstandings, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Breath of the Wild, Pre-Breath of the Wild, Recovered Memories, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Sign Language, Wild (Linked Universe) Angst, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, Wild needs a Hug, and everybody thinks hes an asshole and they get annoyed with him, and he doesnt know how to be himself around the heroes, basically the gang doesnt really like wild, because he reverts into his old habits when he meets them and acts like a knight/soldier, but hes secretly just a dork, im sorry for hurting him, just in time for them to watch him defeat dark beast ganon, links arrive in the middle of wilds fight against ganon, so he just rants and talks with the champions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24527494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enoki_09/pseuds/enoki_09
Summary: “Guardians?” Sky said, blanching. Kish nodded fiercely, waving his hand around wildly as he spoke.“Those things are crazy. Stories say the hero got taken down all those years ago by a bunch of them while he was protecting the princess at the Battle of Fort Hateno. I wouldn’t dare go anywhere near one of them.” Time paled.“The hero died?” Four spoke up, vocalizing everybody’s thoughts. Kish sent them a strange look and then laughed.“Of course!” The man said between his laughter, as if it were the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “Even if he survived the Calamity, he would’ve died a while ago. It’s been one hundred years after all.”---Wild is exhausted. He's taken way too many hits during the fight and he just wants to shoot this big malice pig to death. He wants to clasp his hands over Zelda's and watch Farosh from the Bridge of Hylia. He wants to lay down and sleep for another 100 years. Unfortunately, a band of eight heroes would rather let him do anything but rest.In which Wild is a knight following orders.
Relationships: Flora & Wild (Linked Universe), Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four & Wild (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wild (Linked Universe), Legend & Wild (Linked Universe), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Malon (Legend of Zelda) & Wild (Linked Universe), Sky & Wild (Linked Universe), Time & Wild (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wild (Linked Universe), Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 86
Kudos: 1223





	1. The Children of the Forest

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Unraveled](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952721) by [HelKat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelKat/pseuds/HelKat). 



> apologies if any of this is inaccurate! my only loz game that ive played is botw so i have no idea what im doing lol

Time’s head was pounding with a killer headache and a brand new bruise.

He groaned, as did his comrades, as he struggled to disentangle him from the pile of bodies on the ground. He’d clonked out for a moment, hitting the ground hard. Blinking a few times to get his eye adjusted to the new setting, he checked over his party, helping to hoist them up.

“Gah, stupid portals… thanks, old man.” Warriors muttered as he grabbed Time’s open palm, standing and dusting his armor off. The man was scowling, dirt and grime in his hair and clothes. Time only nodded and soon enough, everybody had gotten to their feet.

“Man, I don’t think we’ve ever been transported to another Hyrule so…” Four pondered for a moment, looking for the words. “Roughly.”

Sky nodded to Time’s left, albeit a bit rigidly. Time raised an eyebrow. “It certainly was abrupt…”

Time couldn’t agree any more. One second, they were spending a lovely day on Outset Island, the sun shining as they laid on the sandy beaches, and then a dark portal had swallowed them up into the ground and spit them into wherever the hell they were now.

Speaking of which…

“Anybody recognize where we are?” Time spoke up, now taking the time to look around him. There wasn’t much to see- a strange misty fog surrounded them, making visibility incredibly low. If Time squinted, he could see the silhouettes of some trees, but the area looked barren. He was immediately on edge- monsters could easily take advantage of their disorientated state and the fog would be great for an ambush. 

A chorus of ‘no’s’ responded, and he subtly nodded his head towards Sky. This must be a new Hyrule, then- though it had been some time since they’d found another hero, it was no surprise.

“Does the sword know anything?” 

Sky unsheathed the Master Sword from his back, handling it with such care and love as if it were a living being. The man held it in his two open palms, as if presenting it to the rest of the group. As eight pairs of eyes stared at the blade in anticipation, the clearing grew quiet. The sword seemed to pulse faintly, and Sky’s eyes widened slightly promptly before it began to shine a bright blue.

“What-” 

In a flash and a sprinkle of light, the sword vanished from Sky’s hands. He gaped at his empty palms, shock written all over his body.

“Where the hell did it go?!” Legend shouted, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sky pressed his lips into a flat line.

“I-I’m not sure, she just said that…” he stared at his hands, contemplating something. Legend narrowed his eyes.

“Said what?” He demanded. Sky hesitated for a moment, before responding.

“She said… that she was needed…” he met Time’s eyes, a conflicted look in his face. Time simply shook his head, just as appalled as the rest of the heroes. The blade was needed? Needed for what? And needed by who?

“Stay close to one of us for the time being,” he said, clapping a reassuring shoulder on the man’s shoulder. “The sword will return to you when the time comes, I’m sure.” Sky bit his lip and then sighed, letting his hands fall to his sides. He nodded.

“We still haven’t figured anything out about where we are, and we can’t see much,” Twilight spoke up. Time rolled his shoulders a bit, the muscles feeling stiff.

“I suppose we don’t have anything other to do than start walking. Keep an eye out for each other- we don’t want anybody getting lost in this fog.” Wind groaned under his breath, although it was ignored. They needed to find civilization and get a map- and ask about this new land’s hero as well. Even with the absence of the Master Sword, they would need to proceed.

\---

It felt as if they’d been walking around in circles for hours now.

“Haven’t we passed this tree already?” Wind asked for the third time, dragging a hand down his face. Hyrule shrugged at the younger boy. He seemed to be enjoying this, though Time supposed even an adventurer like Hyrule would easily get sick of seeing the same sight over and over again.

No matter which direction they headed, the fog never dispersed nor did they seem to even get anywhere. The terrain never changed, and Time’s feet were beginning to get sore. He had no idea what time it was; the sky was obscured in white and grey, and nobody wanted to set up camp in such a vulnerable area. 

Suddenly, Four yelled out from behind them. Time’s head snapped towards the small hero, who was a bit further behind them. Time’s hand was on the hilt of his sword but he relaxed as Four had only stopped to look at something in the distance. He had one hand pointed out at something, and another gesturing for them to come to him. Time made his way over, looking in the direction in which Four was pointing.  
The silhouette of two rock faces stood in front of them, a gap between the two. They had been travelling through a forest filled with leafless trees for hours, and the sight of something new was so, so refreshing. 

Thank Hylia for small mercies.

It seemed obvious that it was a pathway of sorts- to where it would lead was unknown- but Time was willing to take any chances at this point, as were the rest of the heroes. 

“Hopefully this is the exit…” Warriors muttered. “This place is so creepy.” Legend snorted from behind the captain.

“You’re scared of a little fog? Don’t you pride yourself in being a fearless knight?” The veteran taunted. Warriors growled in response, swatting at Legend as the man snickered and ducked. Time sighed.

“Break it up, you two,” he muttered. “Whether this be an exit or not, let’s all stay on guard. We have no idea what’s going to be through here.”

Hylia, he hoped it was an exit.

They moved through the short passageway, and Time could swear that the fog was clearing up. Their surroundings glowed with beautiful greens, yellows and blues, and Time took the moment to bask in the beauty of it all. The group slowed down a bit, everybody taking in the scenery. It was a stark difference to the environment they had just been in. Beautiful flowers and bushes decorated the ground, the ambient noise of birds and the leaves rustling in the wind music to their ears. It felt as if they were somewhere sacred, where only nature was allowed. It felt almost familiar to Time. 

With some of the fog gone, Time was able to spot a huge, hollowed out fallen log up ahead. Shaking out of his stupor, he went on ahead, hesitantly walking inside. On the other side laid what seemed to be a huge forest, shrouded in sunlight and nature. As the party exited on the other side of the passageway, they could do nothing but stand, stunned into silence.

A huge tree that rivaled the size of the Deku Tree stood ahead of them, and Time was blown away by the view. Its branches and blossoms seemed so big that they hovered over the entire forest. Up ahead, a mossy stone path practically buried underneath the overgrowth led to a triangle shaped platform, and in the center, a small pedestal with an empty slot on the top.

It was something all-too familiar.

“Is this… the Master Sword’s resting place…?” Twilight whispered, staring at the empty pedestal. The pup glanced at Sky’s empty sheath. As the Chosen Hero, Sky was the true wielder of the Master Sword- he had a connection with it like no other. But if the sword was neither with Sky or here… Time had no idea where it could’ve gone.

A rumbling hum from above cut through their thoughts as weapons were drawn, the party pressing back to back as they prepared for a battle. However, nothing came but a deep and ancient voice from the giant tree filled with mirth and wisdom. Time could swear he heard childish laughing from deeper in the surrounding trees.

“Welcome, heroes of the past.” Time snapped his head in the direction of the voice and he couldn’t help the gasp that came from his mouth, and he barely noticed how Wind and Warriors had as well. The giant tree was speaking. The face that Time hadn’t even noticed seemed to smile at the reaction.

“Wh- is that a talking tree?!” Legend spluttered. Time wanted to laugh, but he was still in shock. This tree, could it be- no, there was no possible way. The Deku Tree of his time had died. But this was undoubtedly... 

Faintly, he remembered a small Deku Tree sprout.

“What in the name of Hylia-?!”

“How do you know we’re heroes? Who are you? Where are we?” Twilight challenged immediately, blinking out of his own shock as he gripped the handle of his sword despite lowering it. His gaze was guarded and calculating. Time nudged the Pup, trying to communicate that there was no threat. The tree only rumbled in laughter, but there was no malice in its voice.

“I am gifted with much knowledge, Hero of Twilight.” The tree spoke. “I am honored to meet you all. I am known as the Great Deku Tree, guardian to the Koroks and The Sword That Seals The Darkness. This is our home; the Korok Forest.” Time blinked. Koroks?

“Where are all the Koroks, anyways?” Wind said, looking around. “I haven’t seen them for so long! I don’t think anybody else has them in their Hyrules!” Time’s confusion only grew. Did they mean the Kokiri?  
The Deku Tree chuckled again. “My apologies, Hero of the Wind. The Children fear people. We did not expect any visitors until the hero of this era returns.” As if on cue, small beings began to pop out from every nook and cranny, including from the Deku Tree itself. They were tiny, odd creatures; their bodies appearing to be made of a strange wood like material and their heads appearing like leaves. It was bizarre, but Time could do bizarre. He made a mental note to ask Wind who and what the Koroks were.

Wind made a noise close to a squeal as a few Koroks timidly crept up to him, circling him. The kid had a huge grin on his face as he waved to the little creatures. Time had to admit that they were pretty cute.  
Twilight faltered a bit, but Time had to commend him for trying to keep up his tough face.

“Do you know where the Master Sword is, then?” Twilight asked. Sky’s face turned hopeful behind him.

The Deku Tree hummed. “Not too long before you arrived in this world, the Champion drew the blade for his final battle.”

Champion?

Sky’s eyes widened, seemingly not noticing the odd word choice. “So his quest was just recently finished.”

“Not quite,” The ancient tree rumbled. “He is yet to succeed. Whether he vanquishes the evil terror plaguing the land or fails to do so is something that I cannot determine.”

This was new. Every time they had found a new hero, their quest(s) were completed and had been for quite some time. If the hero was fighting right now…

“He must be fighting with the sword,” Time pondered aloud. “That must’ve been what it meant by ‘being needed.’” 

Sky opened his mouth to respond but a squeaky voice interrupted him.

“Mr. Hero is gonna win against the bad guy!” A small Korok who had clung to Wind’s leg said excitedly. “He said he’ll come back after he does, and he’ll play with us!” Wind lowered his hand to pat the Korok.  
“I’m afraid he most likely won’t return so soon to return the Master Sword,” The Deku Tree said. “If you plan to enlist him on your quest, you must seek him out yourselves.”

Legend snorted, still visibly in a bit of shock at the prospect of speaking to a sentient tree. “We don’t even know how to get out of this damn place, how the hell are we supposed to track him down?”

The Deku Tree only chuckled. “The Children will help you to leave the Lost Woods,” he said. Time figured that was their cue to begin their search for this new hero.

“Thank you,” Time said, dipping his head in thanks.

“I wish you all good luck on your quest,” The tree replied. With that, the party turned back towards where they’d come from and began to leave, Wind taking a moment to say goodbye to the Koroks who had warmed up to him almost instantly.

They stepped into the fog, and the laughter of the Koroks whistled through the wind. Time frowned at the almost creepy giggles and kept walking ahead, suddenly ending up at a stone arch with a lantern. He blinked, looking around. They’d never come across this, and he was sure that they would’ve seen such a thing so close to the passage to the Korok Forest. He moved past the stone arch, ignoring the discarded unlit torch on the ground near it. The fog suddenly cleared as they moved forwards.

Hyrule whistled, looking around them. “This place feels huge,” The explorer muttered. “That was just one forest…”

A rumble in the ground pulled their attention away from their sightseeing. It was more a tremble, but it was definitely noticeable.

“Woah!” Warriors yelled as he stumbled a bit. Time frowned as he balanced himself, the shaking subsiding. Could this be the effects of the hero’s battle?

“We’d better track down where this fight is taking place quickly,” He said as the ground stilled. “I’d rather not go on a wild goose chase.” Murmurs of agreement followed. The group grounded themselves and set off, following the dirt pathway to Hylia-knows-where.

\---

“It’s not that often to see folks in such a large group, and so… in gear,” The man at the front desk said, nodding to himself. The heroes had found an odd looking building after following the path out of the Lost Woods and a man named Kish had welcomed them to what he dubbed as Woodland Stable. “What brings you all here today?”

“We’re actually looking for somebody,” Time explained. “Do you know anybody named Link?”

Kish’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “You folks like bananas? I have some if you want them.” Time blinked in bewilderment.

What?

“The fuck kinda question is that?” Legend snarled. Kish glanced between each hero before sighing and relaxing, his laid-back posture returning. He completely ignored Legend’s hostile tone. Time felt as if his brain was frying.

“Alright. Are you all his family or something? You all look awfully similar to the kid.” Time nodded a bit stiffly. Kish nodded back. “Makes sense… the kid doesn’t stop by here too often. Always hanging around in the Akkala region, that one,” Kish shook his head with a smile. “But you're in luck- he stopped by not too long ago. Looked a bit drained but just shrugged it off when I told ‘im to rest up a bit. He left following the path that leads to Central Hyrule.” The stablehand glanced at their armor and weapons. “Even if you’re armed well, that place is dangerous. Those ol’ Guardians are always crawling around everywhere.”

“Guardians?” Sky said, blanching. Kish nodded fiercely, waving his hand around wildly as he spoke. 

“Those things are crazy. Stories say the hero got taken down all those years ago by a bunch of them while he was protecting the princess at the Battle of Fort Hateno. I wouldn’t dare go anywhere near one of them.” Time paled.

The hero was dead? But the man had just told them of Link- and the Deku Tree had explicitly said that the hero was engaged in battle with the Master Sword at this very moment. It must be a rumor.  
“The hero died?” Four spoke up, vocalizing everybody’s thoughts. Kish sent them a strange look and then laughed.

“Of course!” The man said between his laughter, as if it were the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “Even if he survived the Calamity, he would’ve died a while ago. It’s been one hundred years after all.”


	2. Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link blinked, and contemplated signing, but he wasn’t sure if these people even knew Hylian sign language and from his memories, he knew Zelda didn’t. It was a bit of a shock for him that he'd even remembered sign language upon waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection. Over the 100 year gap, he'd learned that most of the language had been lost to time. The Zora were fairly educated in it, but a majority of Hyrule's population knew nothing of it. It had been an incredible pain for him to speak, as his vocal cords were scarred and rough from disuse, but it was necessary. Besides, he'd taken his vow of silence one hundred years ago. The kingdom had fallen. There was no reason why he would need to continue to stay silent.
> 
> But something made him press his lips shut at the sight of the strangers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the geography and amount of time taken to get from place to place might be off- I didn't get the chance to explore in game the route and area for this chapter, sorry!
> 
> On a brighter note- Wild meets the gang! Unfortunately, they don't make the greatest first impression. Sorry for making them slight asses, at least from Wild's perspective.

"This is bullshit," Legend groaned. "Are there like, three different Links?"

The group had followed the path that Kish had told them of in a tense silence. Everybody was confused- Time's own mind swirling with questions. Everything that he'd pieced together in this Hyrule had been contradicted time and time again. He had no idea what was right or wrong. Kish had unknowingly sent them into a silent state of bewilderment for the past hour, leaving the heroes to stare at their shoes as their faces scrunched up in thought. Hyrule had gone a bit ahead, peeking around the ruins and small broken down structures scattered around the dirt pathway they were following. Time sighed as he rubbed his temples, trying to gather his thoughts. He thought back to Kish’s story.

_ "Calamity?" Four had asked. Kish's laughter faded as he glared at the short hero in shock. Everybody shifted under the man’s uncomfortably hard stare. _

_ "How do you not know of the Calamity? You've seen the castle, haven't you?" At Four's sudden lack of response as he stuttered, Time intervened quickly. _

_ "We come from far away," he lied. It was definitely suspicious, but he prayed that Kish would buy into it. "We heard rumors of a long lost family member in Hyrule, so we came here to visit ourselves." _

_ Kish was silent for a moment and eyed them suspiciously but sighed. "I suppose the Calamity hasn't spread throughout the rest of the world. That’s good to hear. Well," he sighed again. "The Calamity Ganon… it's what led to the fall of the kingdom." _

_ The heroes glanced at each other at the mention of Ganon. Perhaps this 'Calamity' was a reincarnation of their sworn enemy. It surely wouldn’t be a surprise- the Gerudo was known to constantly put Hyrule in a state of peril. But to think this could’ve been the result of him finally succeeding in his malicious plans… _

_ "10,000 years ago,” Kish began, eyes turned to the sky as he seemed to recall something of the past. “Our ancestors had defeated the Calamity using the power of the four Divine Beasts, who were piloted by four selected Champions. Using the princess's power and the Legendary Sword wielded by her knight, they were able to seal it away." Kish waved his arm lazily around in the air. "The Calamity was predicted to return, so we prepared to follow in our ancestors footsteps to seal the Calamity away again and the Divine Beasts along with ancient Sheikah technology were dug up. But the Calamity took control of the Divine Beasts and those awful Guardians, and the Champions and Hero were killed defending Hyrule. The Princess is rumored to have been holding the Calamity back for the last hundred years with her powers, but once she gives in, Hyrule and possibly the entire world will be destroyed." Kish shrugged. "At least, that's the story I was told growing up." _

_ Wind had been gaping at Kish, entertained by the story. His eyes seemed to be lit with wonder. "Woah… the Princess has been alive for all that time?" Kish glanced at the young boy and shrugged again, a small smirk on his face. _

_ "It's only rumors, so I doubt it, though there definitely is something holding Ganon back. But if she somehow is, then…" He gazed past the heroes and out towards the fields, where the silhouette of Hyrule Castle could be seen. "We can only hope somebody can help her to save Hyrule from destruction. If not, then... we’re all doomed." As the group turned to see what he was staring at, a sudden glowing beam sparked from the castle's center. Due to the forest that the group had gone through to get here, they had never gotten a good view of the sky… Now, clearly, they could see four red beacons of light all meeting directly on the castle's center. The building seemed to swirl in something dark and evil, and Time couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine.  _

_ "What are those red lights?" Hyrule whispered just loud enough for them to all hear.  _

_ "Nobody's really sure," Kish muttered. "Rumors that the Divine Beasts have been freed are surfacing, and seeing from the direction they're coming from, I don't doubt it. Travelers who stop by often fill me in with news, and apparently they've recently been spotting those things propped up with some weird laser shooting out of them. For the past century, they've always been in mostly the same place and causing trouble… though I can't tell you all much. I barely ever leave the stable." _

_ Nobody chose to ask about the Divine Beasts. All they knew was that this Hyrule had been laid to ruin, and one could only hope to Hylia that the Deku Tree was right about a hero fighting back. _

"Maybe the hero the Deku Tree told us of is a reincarnation of the dead one from a hundred years ago," Four suggested, pulling Time out of his thoughts. Four's eyebrows were knit in thought. "Hylia loves doing that, doesn't she?"

"Isn't a hundred years too soon for a reincarnation though?" Warriors flicked the end of his scarf over his shoulder, eyes trained on the sky. “We’re all pretty far apart in terms of time.” His mouth was pressed flat as he pondered. Twilight shuffled awkwardly from behind him and glanced at Time. The man met his eyes with a questioning look of his own.

"It's not impossible. Seeing the state this Hyrule is in, well…" Twilight trailed off as the group passed another ruin, and Time swore that had they not found the stable, he would've thought the entire kingdom had been abandoned. "She could've gotten desperate."

Legend scoffed. "And Link? For all we know, he could just be a random guy with the same name. The old tree never gave us a name for the hero." In the back of Time’s mind, the title of 'Champion' prodded at him.   
  
“I doubt it,” Wind sighed, folding his hands behind his head. “I mean, we’re all named Link, aren’t we? It can’t be a coincidence.”

Twilight sighed and pinched his nose. "It doesn't matter, we can ask Link himself when we find him. If he’s the hero, then he's ought to have headed to the castle for his final fight. That’s apparently where the princess is. We can head there." Time nodded.

"I agree. It's obviously the best guess we have on where the battle is taking place. It’ll be too dangerous for us to search the castle for him, and I have a feeling we shouldn’t interrupt the fight anyways.” He frowned. “We could probably wait in this Hyrule’s Castle Town, if it has one.”   
  
A sudden gasp from Hyrule up ahead jerked them all back to attention on their surroundings and blades were drawn quickly, but the hero had only beckoned for them to catch up to him. He’d walked up a hill, staring at whatever was on the other side. He didn’t turn back to them, keeping his eyes locked ahead. Time rushed forwards, his grip on his sword not faltering as he prepared for a monster camp.

Upon arrival, however, left him speechless.

Up ahead laid a swirling dark mass that encompassed all of the huge infamous castle, and in front of it laid the ruins of a large town. Despite the absolute destruction they were greeted with, it was undoubtedly Castle Town. Time could spot a few still standing walls, albeit filled with holes and cracks. Debris was scattered everywhere, nature growing into many of the broken down structures and making homes in some of the barely standing buildings. Rusted and cracked weapons lay scattered among the ground, some embedded into the dirt and a few hilts hidden in the wilted grass. A cracked fountain missing much of its parts lay in the middle of the wasteland, and beyond that, the large gates to the castle. Tattered banners waved in the air, highlighted against the fiery orange sky.   
  
Time swallowed down the sudden nausea as he stared at a few withered petals laying at the base of a snapped sword and a few stones. He struggled as he spotted hundreds more, hidden behind crumbling walls and broken wooden beams. Time tore his gaze away from the sight, unable to handle the implications.   
  
The heroes stood in silence, the unspoken horror of what had happened here dawning on all of them. The populated, constantly busy and bright heart of Hyrule, reduced to the remains of a battlefield. Time didn’t want to think about the hundreds of lives that were lost in the very place they stood. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and moved to cover Wind’s view of the place, even though he was certain that the boy had seen the ruins. Perhaps it was for his own comfort when his hand was grabbed by Wind and he squeezed back.

“This…” Twilight choked out. He didn’t finish his sentence, and Time only sent him a comforting yet solemn look and shook his head.   
  
“What-” Legend began, his face contorted in horror and rage. His expression squirmed, as if trying to decide which emotion to convey. He clenched his fist as he pressed on, ignoring the crack in his voice. “What kind of shitty hero let this happen? This whole damn Hyrule is dead! This place is a graveyard!”   
  
Nobody responded and they were plunged in a tense silence once more. Time cleared his throat, stepping back from the hill’s peak and back towards the path, unable to keep on observing the remnants of Castle Town. His hands shook as Wind let go, letting his arm drop to his sides, instead standing frozen and silent as he looked on. Time doubted that he’d seen anything like this in his life before. He internally cursed this Hyrule for letting this be his first experience to the cruel touch of war and evil.   
  
“...We need to keep going, and find the hero of this world as soon as possible so we can move on,” Time bit out, unable to help the hint of bitterness from slipping into his words. “There’s most likely to be some sort of indicator of when the battle ends, especially with all the… ‘darkness’ surrounding the castle-”   
  
Before he could finish his sentence, a beam of light shot from the top of the castle. It flickered as the ground shook, harder than before, and the heroes stumbled, a few tripping and rolling down the hill towards Time. Time couldn’t do much but cushion his fall as he fell to the ground with a thud, wincing a bit but otherwise unharmed. He barely noticed, however, as he could do nothing but helplessly watch on as the black substance around the castle became a vortex of chaos, and began to take a vague form of a… dragon, of sorts. The head was clear enough for him to make out two eyes and a mouth, which opened wide and a loud roar was ripped from the beast. The rumbling ground shook even more, and anybody who had been standing using the support of their weapons stumbled and fell as well. The handful of trees around they swayed and Time was slightly afraid that they would fall directly on top of them.   
  
“Holy  _ shit _ -”   
  
The odd dragon-like creature suddenly dissipated back into the smokey substance once more and the shining light seemed to intensify, but then blink out completely. Time’s heart sank as the swirling dark mass began to take shape again, but instead it shot out from the castle’s center and into the sky, without a doubt preparing to form again. It was uncomfortably close to them- much farther behind, but with the amount of ‘darkness’ gathering he was sure that it would be something huge. As the shaking slightly subsided enough for him to use his sword to pull himself to his knees, he opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted once again by something… less ominous.

Following the darkness, came a light. It sparkled in the setting sun, and was remarkably tinier compared to the huge amount of darkness that was compiling in the air, but it twinkled as bright as a star. It shot out towards the field, landing slowly next to what Time assumed was a horse or some other large animal. The light flashed, and from it spawned a Hylian.   
  
They weren’t close enough to see any details- the only thing they could really make out was the man’s silhouette and a blue tunic obscured by a dark hood. The man turned as the darkness began to finally take shape, and Time watched in awe as it seemed to engulf the entire field. As it began to vanish, it left a huge pig-like beast in its place. Pink flames blazed atop the monster as it stomped down, sending Time back to the ground as the ground shook. The wind blew harshly and the sky was engulfed in dark clouds and reds, but once the ground had settled Time quickly hauled himself and Wind and Four to their feet, since they were the closest to him. 

“Is that- a pig?!” Sky shouted, though it was barely heard over the roaring wind. Time didn’t respond as he watched the man hop onto his horse and a shining object descended from the sky. He was incredibly small compared to the giant beast he was facing, and Time couldn’t help but gape as the Hylian began to circle the pig. The ground violently shook again as the monster hurled a fiery attack that was dodged with ease. He watched on as sparkling arrows were shot at the large glowing areas that had begun to show on the darkness-formed beast. While it was difficult to see from the distance they were at, the emblem on each point was undoubtedly the symbol of the Triforce. Soon after, the area began to glow a bright red and pink. It was almost impossible to see, but Time watched as the faint silhouette of the Hylian leaped up- no, flew up- into the sky and drew an arrow before releasing it directly into the head of the beast. A pained roar shook the earth once more, and Time steadied himself.

A bright light shot from the top of the creature, and it descended slowly. Time felt a feeling of ease wash over him as the light landed and dimmed, leaving a glowing figure in its place. He watched on as the monster erupted into a shadow of darkness, and he watched as the figure slowly lifted its hand and an explosion of light poured over the land, completely eradicating the beast. He stared long and hard at the symbol of the Triforce, until it faded and all that was left was the glowing figure. The dark clouds overhead vanished as the sky returned to normal, and Time was left appalled.

By the end of it all, it had only been a little over an hour.

“Is it over?” Four said a bit breathily. The sorrow that had washed over them from the sight of Castle Town had been forgotten, and instead astonishment had taken its place.   
  
“C’mon! We need to go talk to Link!” Wind cried, breaking into a sprint. In the back of the mind, Time blanked out at the realization that this was the hero they were searching for. The heroes followed in close pursuit, breaking off of the path and instead heading directly towards the pair standing in the middle of the field. They were quite far, but they would be able to reach them in hopefully a little over thirty minutes.

* * *

"Link!" Was the first thing that he heard once the ringing in his ears subsided enough for the familiar voice to clear out. He looked up, dazed from his position on the burnt grass beneath him. He'd collapsed on the ground, heaving as he watched the sky fade into a beautiful blue and the world around him become enveloped in light. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus as he propped himself up painstakingly with his elbows. He stared at the woman in front of him.

There was nothing royal about her. Zelda's once pristine dress was covered in grime, the same state as it had been during the Calamity's attack. Dirt was plastered on her skin, and she had a disbelieving, wide smile on her face. Her hands were shaking, reaching out to him as she took a hesitant step forward. He could only stare at the princess.

"Princess-" He began breathily, eyes straining as he blinked repeatedly to clear the blurriness from his vision to no avail. Zelda's expression broke into an almost hysteric happiness.

"Don't- Don't bother with pleasantries, Link!" She laughed as she lunged forwards, ungracefully dropping to her knees as she wrapped her arms around him. She trembled, voice wobbly as she embraced him. "We've done it! We defeated the Calamity!"

Link blinked once again, slowly, raising his own arm with a wince to clasp around Zelda. Slowly, the gravity of their accomplishment settled in and his eyes widened. The hundred year long battle- no, the ten-thousand year long battle had finally been won. Victory was theirs, and Hyrule was saved from destruction. The countless sacrifices- the people that Link had failed- had not been in vain. Link allowed himself to break out into a large grin as Zelda sobbed into his shoulder in joy.

"We… we did it…" Link rasped, sucking in a breath. After all this time, he'd finally been able to fulfill his duty. His purpose. Death itself couldn't get in the way of his mission. He'd made a promise that he would save Hyrule, and it was finally fulfilled.

Link let a few tears drop down his bloodied and dirt-smeared face. Zelda sniffed and pulled back, hands on his shoulders as she laughed.

"You-" She wiped at her eyes, giggling through a sob. "You weren't quite ever this talkative, Link. I can't say that I'm complaining though." His smile only widened as he opened his mouth to speak again, but the sudden burning pain of his ribs being jostled quickly snuffed out that plan. He grunted, clutching at his side gingerly as to avoid the burns there. Zelda gasped and released her hands as if he had burnt her. She raised one to her mouth, covering it.

"Oh! Goddesses, I can't believe I hadn't even taken a moment to check on your state! My sincerest apologies, Link, how irresponsible of me- can you tell me what hurts most? I can try to heal you." She quickly said, hovering her hands over him as she eyed his bloody tunic cautiously. Link didn't question the seemingly new ability- healing was ought to be included with the gift of power from the Goddess. He wasn't surprised at it, nor was he wary.

"A… little bit of everything," He grunted out. "Ribs, side…" He added, trying his best to elaborate. He hadn't noticed the extent nor amount of injuries he had, and now it was all crashing down on him. Zelda frowned as he gasped, flinching under her touch as she prodded at a disfigured splotch of skin on his side. She rolled up his shirt slightly as she stared conflictingly at the several burns, gashes and bruises that he sported. He instinctively moved his arms to bring his shirt down and get Zelda's hesitant hovering hands away from his beaten skin, but the princess stopped him.

“Goddesses, Link..." Zelda smiled sadly, guiding his arms to his sides as she gently maneuvered him to lay on the ground. "You had always been quite reckless, always getting yourself so hurt.” She chuckled as she held out her glowing hands. Link only clutched at his bloody side as he was slowly healed, letting a tired grin grace his features. After his adrenaline crash, his body made sure that he knew the extent of his injuries. During his fight against the Calamity, he hadn’t been able to dodge the full force of its spear- he grimaced at the memory of it tearing through his ribs as Mipha’s voice whispered in his ears, replenishing his health and energy. He had taken a few more hits afterwards, including a barely dodged spear that grazed his side and a little-too-many severe burns on his body, but they were all forgotten in his battle-fueled frenzy. ‘Dark Beast Ganon,’ as Zelda had dubbed him, had definitely served him less injuries but he had come out of the battle completely and utterly exhausted. If not for Zelda’s constant poking at his cheek to keep him awake, he would’ve clonked out immediately. But her nudging didn’t stop him from sliding his eyes half-shut, and he resorted to weak hums to respond to Zelda’s rambling. No matter how badly he wanted to converse with her at the moment and spin her around in his arms, he didn’t think he had enough energy to keep his eyes open.

Zelda sighed, interrupting herself in the middle of her rambling. Link glanced at her with suddenly alert eyes. "I… hate to ask this of you, especially so soon after your battle, and at such a vulnerable moment, but…" Link stayed quiet, even as Zelda slumped and lowered her hands ever so slightly. Link couldn’t stand the sight of seeing her look so defeated despite them finally eradicating the malice that had plagued the land. He wanted her to smile ear to ear, leap into the air and raise her arms to the sky as they rejoiced together. He wanted her to excitedly talk about the new wildlife and nature that had grown from the ruins of her time, and maybe he'd even tolerate her shoving another live frog down his throat. It pained him deeply to see her with such an expression, after being freed from the torturous task of keeping back the incarnate of Malice alone for a century.   
  
“Do you… really remember me?” She whispered, eyes almost desperate. Link swallowed. He had recovered all the memories from the pictures taken in the slate by Zelda herself, and he had recovered many more outside of those- ranging from specific memories with the Champions, or small flashbacks to his knightly training or giving his reports to the King, to tiny snippets of lost memories, practically incoherent and lost to time… but it definitely wasn’t anywhere near all of his memories. He remembered Zelda, yes, but he didn’t  _ remember  _ her. He didn’t know of her interests, her favorite things or her dislikes. He didn't know of any secrets they might've shared under the night sky, and he didn't remember how Zelda had grown to tolerate him. He didn't even know that Zelda had once gifted him a replica of one of his earrings that she'd made after he'd lost it during a battle until Impa had offhandedly mentioned it. He had only remembered the memories that were deemed necessary to help his drive to defeat the Calamity. The small collection of memories that he had wasn’t enough for him to be who he was in the past. Zelda was trying to speak to her knight of the past, but that man had died. The hero had fallen long ago, and Link was only a mere shell of his former self. Hylia had only allowed him to live again so that he could clean up after himself after he'd failed.   
  
“I…” He rasped quietly, feeling as if a rock were in his throat, before averting his gaze. His lack of response spoke volumes, and Zelda could only chuckle hollowly as she straightened herself out and returned to her healing, face steeled into a forced smile. “I had feared so… however, the experiences that we’ll have now in the present is what matters most. Perhaps you may not be who I once knew, but…” Zelda smiled, a genuine one, and Link’s heart stuttered. “I’m excited to learn of who you truly are, without being restricted by your past duty. Hylia knows how difficult it was to make conversation with you back then.” Link cheekily grinned as Zelda stifled another laugh. “It’s… almost surreal. You’re both so much like you were in the past, always jumping into danger without a care in the world, yet so different. I hope you're aware that I've been able to overlook some parts of your journey- don't think I didn't watch you try and register a bear at a stable, Link." Link laughed sheepishly. Zelda snickered. "I can’t say I don’t dislike this ‘new you.' Though, I would love it if you could get your lack of self-preservation fixed.”   
  
Link supposed that a part of his past self still remained in him. This moment… he’d always been afraid of the aftermath of Ganon’s defeat. He didn’t really know his old self except from the snippets he remembered, in which he had been a stoic knight who was sworn to silence. Even then, in the memories he had recovered, he felt as if he were intruding. As if he wasn't meant to see these moments, as if these memories weren't his to keep.

Link, chosen hero by the Master Sword, Champion, personal knight to Princess Zelda, and wielder of the legendary blade, was dead. Link, wanderer, local tree-rider, fire enthusiast and sand-seal racing champion, was alive and in the flesh.

He knew Zelda had warmed up to him eventually in the past, despite the strained communication, and he was afraid that the fearless hero she had grown friendly to was long gone and she would be incredibly disappointed in who he was now. He knew he could never live up to the strong and courageous version of himself- he had accepted that, and moved on. He just hoped that he could somehow make up to the entire kingdom for failing, and assist Zelda in the future reconstruction of the world. With a bittersweet sigh as they drifted into a content silence, he slipped his eyes shut. Countless sacrifices had gone into ensuring a good future for Hyrule, and damn it all if Link were to put it all in vain. He felt the warmth of the Champions’ spirits swirl around him, whispering reassurances. This is what they had fought for. 

This is the future that they'd fought against fate itself for.

Link startled as his eyes shot open as he heard multiple footsteps approach, pounding into the ground as if they didn't care if all of Hyrule heard them. He hadn’t been aware of any bystanders, too busy with fighting Ganon to look around himself and far too drained to even consider the possibility afterwards. He pushed himself up on his elbows despite Zelda’s protests and frantically felt around for the hilt of the Master Sword strapped to his back. He stared up at the incoming figures. It was difficult to miss the band of eight heavily armored people running towards them. Link tensed up, gritting his teeth at the pain of jostling his slightly healed injuries and slid his sword out, although unable to stand as Zelda firmly kept him down. She glared at him, before turning her eyes to the approaching group.

As Link weakly raised the tip of his sword at them in an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable position, the man who he had dubbed the leader raised his hands and stopped a few feet from them, hesitating.

“We mean no harm,” The man began, eyes darting to Link's sword. An understandable reaction. Link warily eyed the odd tattoos on his face, before glancing at the rest. At the sight of the blue-clothed teenager, however, he let himself relax by the slightest bit. It hopefully meant that they weren't about to be killed by these men. Yiga didn't tend to have children in their ranks, nor did they disguise themselves as such. And he'd never been maliciously attacked by a child- at least not yet. “We only come here to speak. Your name is Link, right?”   
  
Link immediately tensed up again. Could these men truly be Yiga? While he was well known throughout Hyrule, his name wasn't something that was gossiped of or spoken of much. Especially with Hylians- other than the small communities from the various stables scattered throughout Hyrule, due to there not truly being a central foundation for Hylians to stay in other than the three villages, his name was almost unknown. This group knowing not only his name, but also his face and conveniently finding him just after a huge battle was something he found incredibly suspicious. He'd never seen these men in his life; he would definitely remember their heavily armed selves and weaponry, as well as their rather flashy outfits and odd face markings. He felt like he was right to be on edge. Zelda shot daggers at the group from her eyes. “What is your business with him?” She demanded.   
  
“We need to speak about urgent matters,” The man replied. “I can explain it much better if you have time-”   
  
“I severely apologize, but we’re a bit busy at the moment,” Zelda interrupted, shifting a bit closer to Link. His grip on his sword tightened as the man’s eyes- or, well, eye- landed on him with an emotion that he couldn’t name. The man glanced back at the princess, but it was another man who pushed his way to the front of the group who responded. His posture didn’t look as if he was preparing to attack, but the way he carried himself put Link even more on edge.   
  
“Look, we don’t have all day, lady, just let us explain everything and you can get in each other’s pants after-”   
  
Zelda practically growled at him, flushing red in either embarrassment at the man’s comment or anger. Link guessed it was both. “Can’t you see that he’s wounded?” Her voice edged on a shout. “Just who do you think you are, marching up to a bleeding man on the ground and asking to speak with him in such a rude and obscene manner? You’re all strangers and we both have no desire to speak with you. I have no doubts that you witnessed his battle just a few minutes ago, judging on how soon you were able to arrive here. Could you not spare a drop of consideration? At least allow me to heal him first!”   
  
The man blinked and stepped back, and Link wanted to laugh at his shocked expression. He grit his teeth and opened his mouth to snap back, but the tattooed man from earlier grabbed his shoulder.   
  
“I apologize for my brother,” The man began. Link narrowed his eyes as one of the shorter men stifled a snort. “He often forgets his manners. Could we speak later, then?” Zelda sighed.   
  
“I doubt you’ll leave us alone if I were to say no…” She muttered under her breath, only loud enough for Link to hear. “Link is the one you wish to speak to, is he not? It’s his decision.”   
  
Link blinked, and contemplated signing, but he wasn’t sure if these people even knew Hylian sign language and from his memories, he knew Zelda didn’t. It was a bit of a shock for him that he'd even remembered sign language upon waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection. Over the 100 year gap, he'd learned that most of the language had been lost to time. The Zora were fairly educated in it, but a majority of Hyrule's population knew nothing of it. It had been an incredible pain for him to speak, as his vocal cords were scarred and rough from disuse, but it was necessary. Besides, he'd taken his vow of silence one hundred years ago. The kingdom had fallen. There was no reason why he would need to continue to stay silent.

But something made him press his lips shut at the sight of the strangers.

He lowered his sword sloppily, not caring enough nor having the energy to put on a polite mask. He reached for his slate on his hip, pulling it out and tapping a few times before pulling up a picture of the entrance to Kakariko Village, and sliding the slate to Zelda. Her eyes brightened considerably at the sight of the slate, and even more so at Kakariko. Her eyes softened at the sight of Link giving a thumbs-up at the camera and two children grinning widely in the background. She glanced back at the strange group and cleared her throat, pulling her posture back up. It reminded Link all too much of how she held herself in the palace.   
  
“Once we’re finished here, we’ll be leaving for Kakariko. If you're not willing to travel that far, then leave now." Zelda's authoritative posture faltered as the band simply glanced at each other but didn't budge.   
  
As nobody responded, they fell into a tense and awkward silence. Zelda warily turned her attention back to Link, focusing on healing him as her hands glowed more fiercely. Link bit back a sigh of relief as he felt one of his burns vanish into a scar. He looked around, lazily eyeing the group of men who were studying him intensely. He tensed under their eyes.

He supposed it would be rude and much too awkward to ask for their names now (not that  _ they  _ had shared the same fear) so he'd make do with their visual appearance. The boy in blue he would dub… 'Blue.' He didn't have much to go on, as the group all shared many similarities and he would feel much too weird mentally referring to the child as 'boy.' Looking at him more closely now, Blue didn't look all that younger than Zelda and himself- perhaps no older than fifteen, he was. Link turned his attention to what Link speculated was the leader of the group. He supposed he could call him One-Eye, as he supposed other than the odd tattoos on his face, it was the most distinctive trait about him. He looked at one of the shorter ones in the group, who was looking every form of uncomfortable. His eyes were… odd, as if Link could see an entire internal battle play out in them. He often adjusted his hair band- something he guessed was a nervous habit. He deemed the short boy Hair-Band. He quickly rattled off the rest of the names- the fur-coated man obviously being named Fur-Coat, along with Scarf, Angry, and Fidget. He had based that one off of the way the much more plain looking boy seemed to fidget nervously. He didn't have much to work on for him. Content with the current names, he looked at the last man who he'd not blessed yet with a name.   
  
The caped man more towards the back of the group caught his eye. The man didn’t look all too threatening, but it was obvious by the way he held himself that he was a skilled fighter. Link guessed that the entire group was. His eyes burned into him with the power of a Guardian laser and Link couldn’t help but fidget a bit. He reached for the hilt of the Master Sword again after he had laid it on the ground if not for the bit of comfort he would gain from having a weapon in his hand. The man’s eyes suddenly frantically darted to it and he took a step forward. Link suppressed a flinch at the sudden yet subtle action and pulled away from the sword, watching as the man’s expression turned to something more desperate. Perhaps he, too, felt unsafe without a weapon in his hands. Link noted the lack of a hilt in the sheath of the man’s back. He tore his stare away as the fur-coated man clasped a hand on the man’s shoulder. He tried not to glance back to get a better look at the odd tattoos he had on his face.

Link guessed that Sword would be a suitable name for the odd person.

He listed off the names in his head. Blue, One-Eye, Hair-Band, Fur-Coat, Scarf, Angry, Fidget, and Sword.

He was definitely going to have to get Zelda to ask for their names sooner or later.   
  
Angry (Link had to stop himself from snorting at the name), who had spoken oh-so rudely to Zelda, was obviously uncomfortable in the silence. He watched them both with something close to disdain, and Link couldn’t help but hunch over a bit more so that his hood fell even lower. At the angle they were in, he doubted that any of them had seen his face yet. It wasn't as if he wanted to avoid them seeing his face at all costs. Link wasn’t ashamed of his scars, but they served as a permanent reminder of how he’d failed his entire kingdom. To him, and everybody who saw them. 

Needless to say, he wasn't too keen on showing them off to aggressive strangers.

As five minutes passed, the group seemed to disperse. They split into smaller groups and pairs- Scarf chuckling quietly as he spoke with Blue about Hylia knows what. Fur-Coat and One-Eye seemed to be communicating purely through meaningful glances and small head nods. It was… slightly ominous, to be honest. He glanced over to Angry, who had inched over to Fidget, who he himself was pointing at some of the distant landscapes while discussing with Hair-Band. His eyes were lit with wonder. Link felt the ghost of a smile pass his lips. He was always happy to see people's love and awe for Hyrule. It held surprises in every nook and cranny, and for his entire journey thus far the land had never ceased to surprise him. Seeing others gawk in amazement at the beauty of the land made him feel less alone. He quickly forced the subtle grin off his face as One-Eye and Fur-Coat glanced at him at the same time, as if they were discussing him. He tried not to turn away under their eyes.

Link jerked back to attention as he stared at Sword who stood silently and slightly isolated from the rest, fingers flexing into a fist multiple times as his eyes locked onto the Master Sword. He didn't look angry, despite his body language, but something closer to distressed. His expression was pinched, and it was making Link incredibly uncomfortable. He wanted to swipe the Sheikah Slate above the sword so that he could store it away from prying eyes and clammy palms, but in the position he was in, he wanted a weapon constantly on standby. He couldn't afford to get careless, especially with Zelda by his side now.   
  
After an impossibly tense and slow handful of minutes, Link was deemed healthy enough to travel. Everything ached terribly, and much of his more minor wounds were barely touched on, but Zelda had begun to look drained herself and it was too much to ask for her to keep going. He probably had some leftover elixirs that he could chug down later anyways. He grasped Zelda’s hand, hauling himself up using the Master Sword and the help of the princess to stand to his feet. His rise effectively shut any hushed conversation as every head turned to look at him. He swayed only slightly as he balanced himself, narrowing his eyes at the group as he hesitantly sheathed the blade. He was confident in his ability to draw the sword in record time if needed, and he was getting sick of Sword’s odd behavior.    
  
Zelda cleared her throat, trying her best to speak through the thick tension-filled air. “We’ll be departing now. We’ll likely stop by the nearest resting place for the night. We will not be waiting for you all during travel.” She glared coldly at Angry. “And I request that no unnecessary comments be made towards Sir Link or myself.” Link raised an eyebrow at the use of his title. While some of the residents in Kakariko embarrassingly referred to him as 'Master' Link, 'Sir' was much more official and formal, as it was his knight's title. He couldn't recall anybody calling him that since he woke from the Shrine of Resurrection- most likely due to the fact that Link often failed to tell others about himself at all.  _ It's not like I have much that I remember about myself to tell of, anyways,  _ he added bitterly to himself.

Zelda whipped around, face tight as she made sure to avoid any and all eye contact. Link slightly jogged up to her, offering the Sheikah Slate for her to use. He quickly guided her through navigating the slate, as well as the map itself. Many of the features had previously been locked when Zelda was in possession of the slate, so she had lit up in excitement at the new features. She picked up on everything rather quickly- in the back of his mind, his subconsciousness told him that Zelda was a quick learner. He smiled fondly as Zelda tapped away, and said smile turned sheepish as she pulled up a picture that he'd taken while mounted atop a Lynel. She glared at him disapprovingly but quickly moved on, her amazement causing her to almost immediately forget about the questionable photo.

During the precious moment, he had almost forgotten about their following company. He glanced behind him, watching as a few of the men glared back with a rivaling intensity. He wanted to follow them from behind and leave Zelda in front, but he didn't want to leave her so vulnerable. He knew that she was capable in basic self defense, but against eight (well, seven, if he didn't include Blue) heavily armed men? He would never think about risking it.

Sword seemed… less twitchy as Link focused on the odd caped man. He was instead burning holes into his back with something close to longing, but he kept his eyes off Link's sword sheath. It was possibly even creepier, in his opinion. He bit back a scoff and turned back to Zelda as she gasped quietly, pointing at the runes feature of the slate. He had to guide her hands away from the remote bomb rune, moving in a quiet panic as he prevented the princess from blowing them all to bits. He smiled as she excitedly looked through the slate, reading quietly aloud the descriptions of each rune, and he stared at her wonder-lit face. He wanted to preserve this moment forever.

  
  
He didn’t know what these men wanted from them, but he prayed to Hylia or whatever Goddesses that were listening that whatever happened next would at least spare their brief moments of happiness.


	3. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How long is Link gonna make us wait? It's been three days already!" He muttered angrily. Twilight frowned but said nothing.
> 
> "This Hyrule is much larger than any of ours," Time replied. "It'll take him a while to return. Let's just be patient." It sounded like Time was trying to convince himself as well. The group muttered half-hearted agreements, and Twilight sighed silently. They could be patient. Time was right. Surely, the hero wouldn't make them wait longer, not after they'd followed him all the way here.
> 
> Almost two weeks pass without any word of Link, and Twilight finds it much more difficult to believe that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so so sorry for how long this took! i lost motivation for over a month and ive only just now pumped out enough content to post this chapter!
> 
> a few notes to add for this chapter:
> 
> \- for some reason the website is glitched for me, so im unable to italicize words or add in lines to separate pov switches, etc. to replace the lines i'll be adding a small little --!
> 
> \- i will be fixing the italicization in the morning since its like 3 am right now but for now enjoy this barely edited, very messy chapter!
> 
> EDIT: italicization should all be fixed! also i might've forgotten that wild doesn't sign in this chapter, oops dfahjl

Twilight was getting understandably antsy by the minute.

He had already come to the conclusion that he disliked this new, silent hero. It wasn’t like the boy was purposefully rude, or anything- in fact, other than the dismissive behavior, Link had been kind enough to them to bring them to Kakariko Village and pay for their stay at the local inn. But the second he had paid the rupees, he had hopped on his horse and begun to ride away with Zelda following in close pursuit. They had all tried to call him back, but Zelda had simply said that they had ‘things to do.’ Twilight had angrily shouted after them, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. He grumbled at the memory. They had the nerve to drop them off at an unknown village for over a week, and then just leave with no explanation? With the empty promise of their return, the band of heroes had resorted to exploring the town and nearby land.

While the Sheikah village was nice and cozy, it was the people that stuck out the most.

“Oh, thank the Goddesses! A miracle has happened!” A woman was weeping, kneeling with her hands clasped together and her face turned to the sky. She seemed overwhelmed with gratitude, despite the tears trailing down her face. It felt like all of the townsfolk hadn’t even noticed their arrival. “We are saved!”

“We are saved!” A few other Sheikah parroted, the sound of cheering and sobbing filling the air. “Master Link has sealed the darkness!”

Twilight frowned as he turned to look at a man on the ground, hugging two children tightly as they all shed tears. What was going on? What had happened to incite this reaction.

Warriors was first to ask the question. He hesitantly approached one of the more elderly villagers who was wistfully staring at the cloudless sky. “Excuse us, sir?”

The Sheikah turned to look at him in surprise, and then confusion. “Ah, I’m sorry, I had thought you were somebody else. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? Finally, Hyrule is free… you must all be overjoyed.” Warriors coughed into his elbow awkwardly.

“Actually, about that…” He trailed off. “Well, what exactly is everybody so happy about?”

The man was silent, before laughing. It sounded bitter. “Oh, I’ve forgotten that the tragedy of the Calamity still isn’t taught to all of the youth. I take it that you’re all travellers, going off of your… gear. Have you not seen the land?” Warriors shook his head slowly, watching the man frown.

“We are travelers, but we were very secluded as children. This is the first place we’ve been to.” The Sheikah nodded, albeit a bit slower and maybe a little suspiciously, and hummed.

“I see… well, the Calamity struck a hundred years ago, and Hyrule was brought to ruin. You see, the hero and the Champions fell in battle, but the Princess had been holding the Calamity back in the castle. She has been for all these years, but finally the hero has freed her.” Twilight wanted to pull out his hair. Again with this confusing contradiction of the hero’s living status. They’d met Link himself, and they were certain that this was the hero, but there was no way that he was over a hundred years old. They may not have been able to see his face, but it was evident that the short boy was at least eighteen.

The man sighed, smiling. “Today marks the day of Hyrule’s victory over evil. I never thought I’d live to see the day!” Warriors chuckled, covering up his confusion.

“Wind! Don’t run off, get back here!” Twilight blinked, turning around to spot Sky calling out to Wind, who was wandering off with Hyrule to look around the village. Warriors, who had also turned his head, looked back at the Sheikah man sheepishly and bid their farewells before following Wind. They all had a lot of information to process, but hopefully, once Link returned they’d be able to move on with their quest.

After Wind had dragged them around Kakariko and seen everything there was to be seen and the citizens of the village had calmed down enough, Four jerked a thumb towards the large building by a stream, the only place they hadn't been to yet. According to the townsfolk, it was the Sheikah chief's home. It was guarded by two men, who watched them approach with stony eyes.

"What's your business with Lady Impa, strangers?" One of the guards asked. Impa? They'd all met multiple Impas throughout their Hyrules- it was nice to hear a familiar name. Twilight glanced over at Time, who nodded.

"We wish to speak with Impa about the hero," Twilight began. "There is-” He didn’t get to finish when the metallic sound of blades being drawn made him stop short and raise his hands swiftly. He narrowed his eyes as a blade was pointed at him, and he glanced behind him to see the other heroes stiffen and place their hands on the handle of their own weapons.

“The Yiga must be getting bold, for them to stroll in here so casually. You really think you’ll get through us, traitors? The Calamity may be gone now, but don’t think we’ll spare your lives!” One of the men snarled. Twilight frowned in confusion. _Traitors?_

“The Yiga? What is-?” He was cut off again when the blade was jabbed forwards, not making contact with him but threatening enough to make him snap his mouth shut. They could all easily defeat the two men, but he was pretty sure there was some sort of misunderstanding here.

“Don’t play dumb! Leave before we make you!” Twilight took a slow step back, still frowning.

“Look, I think we have a misunderstanding,” He said. “We come in peace. We were brought here by a man named Link and-”

“Master Link brought you?” One of the men repeated with a confused tilt of his head. Twilight was getting a bit sick of all the interruption, though he said nothing as he wished not to get his throat slit. At least they were getting somewhere.

“Yes, and then he left with Zelda. We need help finding him again.” Both guards looked at each other before sheathing their weapons, taking a slow step back and moving aside so that they could walk up the stairs. Their eyes were still hostile and suspicious, but Twilight nearly sighed with relief. The heroes climbed up the stairs, and Twilight pressed both his hands against the large doors at the top and pushed them open, revealing a small room and two women.

“What a surprise,” The elderly woman drawled from her position on a cushion. The much younger girl to her right squealed in surprise, bolting up from her kneeled position. “While I was expecting certain visitors soon, this isn’t quite what I had in mind.”

“Are we able to speak with Impa, ma’am?” Hyrule asked. The old woman smiled and laughed quietly.

“I am Impa,” She chuckled. The heroes stood in shocked silence. “Now, what is it that you need from an old woman like myself, heroes?”

Sky’s eyes widened. “You know? How?” Impa only shook her head in amusement.

“Hylia guides not only you but I. Don’t act so surprised.” Sky slowly nodded, before Twilight piped in.

He cleared his throat. “Excuse our sudden visit, but we were wondering if you knew where Link is by any chance?” Impa hummed.

“He stopped by not too long ago, as well with the Princess…” She smiled fondly. “Sadly, I believe I won’t be of much use to you. That boy is unpredictable, and those two are ought to spend a bit of time away for a while. After all, they have only just won their greatest battle yet.” Twilight cursed under his breath.

“Don't fret. Your best choice is to remain here until he returns as promised. It's pointless to attempt to chase them down- the hero can travel from one end of Hyrule to the other in minutes." He raised a skeptical eyebrow at that. From what they'd seen, this Hyrule was huge, empty, and full of ruins. The trek to Kakariko had taken a few days, and the lack of people and civilization that they'd seen was unnerving to say the least. Everytime Twilight passed by moss-covered ruins, he imagined a quaint but homey house filled by a peaceful and happy family. He couldn't help but feel bitter at the implications.

The group tried to stay optimistic, hoping that Link would return the next day. Sky did his best to keep them occupied, opting to spend most of their time exploring the area and even becoming slightly more familiar with the Sheikah. As they poked around the odd glowing blue structure that looked down upon the village, Wind groaned and kicked the wall of it, huffing.

"How long is Link gonna make us wait? It's been three days already!" He muttered angrily. Twilight frowned but said nothing.

"This Hyrule is much larger than any of ours," Time replied. "It'll take him a while to return. Let's just be patient." It sounded like Time was trying to convince himself as well. The group muttered half-hearted agreements, and Twilight sighed silently. They could be patient. Time was right. Surely, the hero wouldn't make them wait longer, not after they'd followed him all the way here.

Almost two weeks pass without any word of Link, and Twilight finds it much more difficult to believe that.

* * *

"It's so good to see Impa well, as well as her granddaughter- Paya is a wonderful girl! And don't think I don't see how she looks at you, Link!" Zelda laughed, and Link huffed playfully.

"She's just not used to having guys her age around. It's nothing like that." Zelda snorted, a noise so unfitting for a princess but Link only indulged in it.

" _Sure,_ Link. Didn't you mention something about a diary of her's?" Link flushed slightly, hands tightening on his horse's reins as they began to speed up. Zelda only snickered knowingly.

"But," Zelda continued, her playful grin turning more serious. Link glanced at her. "On a more important note, those men… you don't know them, do you?"

He shook his head solemnly. "I've never seen them in my life. They seem to know me, but…" He bit his lip. "I don't know."

"The Yiga Clan, are they still active?" Zelda murmured, more to herself than to Link. He answered anyway.

"Yeah, a real pain during my journey, but the Yiga wouldn't try something so bold like that. Maybe they're just really bad assassins. It's fine now, though, I doubt they'll be able to trail us." Zelda sighed.

"I know, but… there's something about them. They feel important, somehow." She whispered, and Link suddenly felt colder.

"Is it…?" He muttered back, and she traced a triangle on the back of her hand absent-mindedly and nodded slowly. Link looked away, knuckles white.

Damn this. Damn Hylia, if she thinks she can start trying to do… whatever this is the moment Hyrule is saved. Whatever those men wanted from them, they'd never get it. Hylia wouldn't get her way, not anymore. Not after what she'd done to him, to Zelda.

"I know, and that alone gives you more of an incentive to avoid them, but…" Zelda sighed. "Listen, Link, they're important. I don't know how, but I have a feeling that you can't ignore them forever. Hear them out, please."

Link kept his glare forwards, on the dilapidated pathway they'd been riding on. He didn't think they were trying to kill him, unless they were incredibly terrible at their job, but something in him screamed at him to stay away, stay away. He despised how Sword looked at him and his sword with a knowing look. He hated how all of them looked at him. Maybe, if he left them all, they'd just leave on their own. The group didn't seem like the patient type.

A sigh. "I'll… think about it. I have a feeling that they're important somehow as well, but…" He shook his head again. "...it's weird. I feel like they're dangerous. I don't want them to hurt you, Zelda." Zelda frowned.

"I'm fully capable of handling myself, you don't need to worry about me," She replied, though no venom was in her voice. Link sputtered. He didn't mean to offend her! "Oh, stop it. I know you meant no harm. I'm saying that I shouldn't hold you back. Those men obviously need you for something. I really think you should give them a chance, Link, but if it's your choice." She looked him dead in the eye and he bit his lip.

"I just…" His knuckles turned white from his grip on the reigns. "I'm sick of this. If the goddess is involved with them, then they're here to speak with the hero. Not Link, not me." He looked up to meet Zelda's sad eyes. "I… they're too late to meet him, now."

Silence passed by the two of them, riding in silence as the sun set slowly behind the distant mountains.

Link broke the silence first.

"I-I'm sorry," He stammered. "I didn't mean to- I know I didn't make sense, sorry- I didn't mean-" Zelda leaned over and shoved him weakly, a teasing yet knowing look on her face.

"You're still such a goofball. You'll always be a hero, chosen one or not. You may have lost your memories and you may never be the same person that I knew a hundred years ago, but that doesn't mean anything. To me, you're still Link, the hero, my knight, and my friend." Her eyes shined with determination and unshed tears and he himself had to fight the ache in his chest so that he wouldn't begin to cry. He swallowed with a wobbly smile.

"Speaking of which…" Link rasped, voice shaky. Zelda looked at him expectantly. "Am I relieved of my duty now?"

She snorted, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "Getting me so emotional for a lame joke- yes, of course, you no longer are sworn to protect me or Hyrule. You're free to do whatever you please. You saved the world, for Hylia's sake!" Link only chuckled back. It was for comedic relief, the question, but it was also a genuine one. He for sure wasn't an official knight anymore, with no kingdom to serve, and he hadn't been sure if the job's whole 'serve Hyrule until your dying breath' thing still applied when he technically had done just that. He'd never really cared about the fact that he was a knight, the information feeling insignificant and useless to him now, but with the limited memories he had it seemed like it had been the one thing that his old self had lived his whole life to become. It was as if being a knight was the only thing that mattered. Distantly, he wondered, if he had stayed the same person he once was, if being released from his duty would've left him without meaning. He didn't like the answer that he gave himself.

"Oh, of course!" Zelda clapped her hands together in sudden delight. "We must celebrate in some way at once for our victory! We're already on a vacation of sorts, anyways! With The Calamity gone, there's so much to do now, and- oh, Impa said that Purah and Robbie should still be alive, right? I'd love to pay them a visit- ah, but I'd also love to see how young Sidon is doing! Oh my, he must be so much bigger, isn't he? Is the King doing well? I wonder what the Gorons are doing, although I believe the journey up Death Mountain is something I'd like to avoid, and Rito Village and Gerudo Town are much too far..." She began to ramble excitedly, and Link smiled sadly. She was so excited to begin living in this world, even if it was the ruined remnants of what she once knew. He wondered if whenever they passed any ruins, she would remember about what once was. He wondered if she looked at him and felt the same.

"...perhaps we could first visit Hateno, since you said that is where Purah lives… we're much closer there than anywhere else. I would love to see how she's doing." Link tries not to smirk. He had left the whole age-reversal thing a surprise. "It's… quite shocking, how there are only a handful of proper civilizations still standing. The Calamity was merciless." She cleared her throat, straightening out. "But I refuse to mope. The past is the past, and we can only move forwards from here. I believe the two of us can reestablish Hyrule to its former glory." She glanced at him and he only smiled softly back.

"Yes," He nodded before glancing up at the sky. "It's getting quite late, princess, we should rest for the night." Link muttered gently, and Zelda blinked, before barking out a laugh. Mirth sparkled in her eyes.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I nearly forgot about the time. I'm afraid I'm… not too familiar with the area, at least not anymore. Is there anywhere we can make camp-?"

Link nodded, steering Epona sharply to their left. "This way- there's a sheltered forest with no monster camps around, though there are some moblins. It's fine though, I can clear them out before we settle down." Zelda giggled.

"Of course you will, Mr. Hero," She teased. Link rolled his eyes, still grinning as they headed towards the trees. They settled into a comfortable silence as Link led them into an ideal area, starting a warm fire after dismounting his steed. Once they had settled down, he adjusted the sheath on his back. Zelda looked at him.

"Be safe, Link," She said, smiling but a serious look in her eyes. "Your injuries from Ganon aren't fully healed, so you'll be a bit sore. Please, don’t be reckless." Link only nodded in response. He was well aware of the fact- he was sore all-over and he felt like a lynel had made him its personal doormat, but with a few good night's rest he'd be fine. Besides, it was easy to forget about. Zelda was good at distracting him from a lot of things.

It didn't take long to take down all of the enemies around. They were scattered about but mostly alone, so most of them could be taken out by him simply sneaking up on them and dealing a heavy blow. Night was truly settling in now, the crickets chirping and moonlight illuminating the trees. As he walked back to their makeshift camp, he could see the faint silhouette of Zelda outlined by the warm glow of the fire. He'd expected her to be nodding off to sleep by now, even if the night had only just settled in. She deserved the rest, after a hundred years of a non-stop battle. He was surprised she had even managed to stay awake for so long. She must be exhausted.

"Link?" She piped up as he pushed himself through the bushes. He gave her a quick thumbs up in confirmation and she laughed quietly as he sat down on a log and drew the Master Sword, cleaning it of monster blood. Zelda hummed curiously at the sight of it.

"You know, Link…" He averted his eyes from the blade to her, blinking in silent question. "I was wondering if you… well, my mother told me legends of the heroes of old, and she said that the sword was returned to its resting place after the hero's journey was completed. I have no intent on pressuring you to do so, but are you planning on returning it?"

He stared back at the blade, pausing his cleaning. The sword… he couldn't help but resent it. From the moment he had pulled it when he was a child, his entire life had been turned upside down. He'd always aspired to become a knight like his father- at least, he thought he did- but he never wanted to take upon the role of a hero. It had made him into the emotionless soldier he was in the past, and it had cost him his life and his memories. It was less of a blessing and more of a curse. Sometimes, he wondered if the fabled voice within the sword had chosen wrong. Hyrule had fallen after all. He wondered if the sword still truly accepted him as its master- he'd nearly died trying to retrieve it in the Korok Forest.

"Maybe," was the answer he settled with, continuing to wipe at the blade. "Later, though. It's quite nice to have a weapon that won't actually break on me. Eventually, I'll need to return it, but for now… like you said, let's just enjoy this little vacation." Zelda stifled a laugh.

"Yes, of course," She yawned out. "I know it's early, and we haven't even had supper, but I think I may need to…" Link sheathed his sword.

"Of course," He stood, walking to their horses and taking out their bedrolls. Being the hero didn't leave him with much time to get rest and it certainly didn't give him enough time to develop a relatively normal sleep schedule. He was certain that nothing would happen throughout the night, especially after he'd personally cleared the forest, but he would take watch anyways.

As Zelda slipped into sleep, the fire still crackling, Link turned his eyes to the sky. The trees were blocking a majority of the few, but the slowly blooming stars were beginning to appear. He’d always enjoyed watching the sky. Sometimes, he envied the Rito, for their ability to soar high in the clouds. He wondered how it felt, to be free from the earth’s grasp. Revali’s Gale was surely useful, and gliding with the paraglider was always a joy, but he knew it was far from true flight. He narrowed his eyes at the thought of the champions’ powers.

Now that he’d freed their spirits from the Divine Beasts, and Ganon had been sealed away… they should be able to pass on, right? He hadn’t been hearing the usual four voices in his head ever since he’d walked into the Sanctum of the castle, and he’d assumed that they’d gone off to launch their attacks on the Calamity. He frowned at the implication that they had passed on without him being able to say a proper goodbye, but he was glad nonetheless. No longer did they need to suffer through the torture that was the prison of the Divine Beasts. They’d been trapped there for far too long, and Link didn’t want to make them wait another second to move on.

It would be unfortunate that their powers were most likely gone now, but he’d manage fine. He could feel a ghost of Urbosa’s lightning, Daruk’s shield, Revali’s wind and Mipha’s healing, but he couldn’t quite grasp them like he had before. They felt further away, still there but dormant. He’d test it out later- for now, he was just glad that they were finally free.

He’d miss them, of course. He barely retained any memories from before, but they kept him plenty of company. His journey had been a lonely one, with sleepless nights and days of silent walking, but they were always there to keep him company. Urbosa was almost like a mother to him, and Daruk was like the brother that he (probably?) never had. Revali was still rude and arrogant as always, but they both held an unspoken fondness for each other. Mipha was a shoulder he could lean on, and more kind to him than anybody else had ever been. It was nice, that his head had no longer been filled with a disturbing emptiness from lack of… feeling, and instead he had four friends to talk to at any time. He supposed he at least had Zelda by his side now.

He opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and glanced over at the sleeping girl. Her face was sunken with fatigue and he felt guilt prick at his chest. She’d been dealing with hell while he’d taken his sweet time saving her. He could’ve been faster. He should’ve been faster. She'd been so patient for him, waited an entire century while he had been doing nothing but sleeping in a literal coffin. At times he wondered if the shrine could've backfired, locking him in stasis for even longer. He wondered, had he not have woken up at that moment, if Hyrule would've been a lost cause. If he would've awoken to no light, no voice, and no land.

He was well aware of his failures as the hero, and as every other title he'd been given. Failure as the princess' personal knight, guard, esteemed member of the royal guard, Champion, son, soldier, and friend. He'd failed everybody in his life, and he knew he could never make up for the tragedy his failure had brought upon the land. He could do nothing but try to pretend to be the hero that Hyrule believed him to be. He dragged a hand down his face. Why had Hylia thought him befitting of this role? He had died a coward, running away from the face of evil and leaving thousands to die in fear. Did she think this was a funny game? To force him into this role, break him, only to bring him back again? He traced the edges of the jagged scars on his face, grimacing. He'd sacrificed everything, in the end. And he'd gotten nothing but more pain.

Morning came sooner than expected, and Link found himself painfully alert when Zelda began to shift in her sleep, stretching her limbs out with a pop. She groggily blinked open her eyes, mumbling incoherent words. He tried not to chuckle at the silliness of it. He was glad she had been able to get such a good night of rest in- the journey to Hateno wouldn't be short, and if they were planning to head to Zora's Domain afterwards they'd need to prepare properly. He pulled out some meat skewers he'd prepared earlier and stashed in the slate and nudged Zelda awake, letting the aroma of it help her to get up. Clamping his teeth over his own, he used his free hand to flick a few apples out for their horses. Epona and Storm shook themselves out as Link tossed the apples gently to the ground so that they could feed.

"Wake up, Zelda," Link attempted to say through the mouthful of meat in his mouth. Zelda murmured something again before sitting up slightly, yawning and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"I'm… up, I'm awake… what…?" She looked in surprise at Link's… state, and the skewer he was holding out to her.

"Huh…? Oh, thank you!" She gratefully accepted the skewer, taking tentative bites before brightening and digging in, her previous sleepiness having been totally forgotten. He had wanted to prepare something much more extravagant for her first meal in a century, but they had no pots around. Nonetheless, Zelda didn't seem to mind, practically shredding the skewer to bits as Link stifled a laugh, chewing on his own skewer. She gave him a pointed look.

"Take that smug grin off your face! How do you think your appetite would be after a hundred years of not eating a thing?" Link only giggled harder and she turned red, though she continued to eat.

"Well, I'd probably be dead if I didn't eat for that long," He snorted around his breakfast. Zelda spluttered.

"You-! You know what I mean!" She shouted, and he only laughed more. She pouted, raising her chin away from him as she huffed.

“Loosen up, princess,” He laughed. He hoped he wasn’t crossing any lines. “We have a long day ahead of us. The path to Hateno is relatively safe, as long as we avoid the monster camps.” Zelda hummed, still pouting as she wiped her mouth with a cough, trying to preserve what little was left of her dignity with flushed cheeks.

“Let's get going, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ending on a mostly happy note, maybe? next chapter we'll finally be meeting back up with the rest of the boys! maybe theyll finally be able to clear up all of these misunderstandings?


	4. A Long Overdue Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn it all, he thought for not the last time.
> 
> "I need to leave." He settled with, voice edging on a crack as it shook though he tried his hardest to keep it flat and levelled. Zelda's grip tightened as silence followed his words with shock and disbelief lying comfortably in the air.
> 
> "What?" She said breathlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I *might've* taken two months to post this... whoops.
> 
> Jokes aside, I've been very unhappy with this chapter and I've rewritten it multiple times but I figured I'd just post it anyways. So here's what I got! Plus, I managed to sprinkle in some Malon at the end, so there's that :] but hopefully the length of this chapter can make up for the long wait (probably not but whatever lmao)!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this chapter, comments, bookmarks and kudos are all greatly appreciated! While I don't reply to comments often I do read them and they motivate me to write more and continue this story, so thank you all!

In all honesty, Link had all but forgotten about the threatening group of men that he'd practically abandoned back in Kakariko. By the time he and Zelda had rode back to the village, they had both gone to both Hateno and Zora's Domain. Other than Zelda's utter bafflement at Purah's current state as well as a bittersweet reunion with King Dorephan and Sidon, their trip was rather uneventful. Uneventful, but fun.

They'd only stopped by since Zelda had wanted to spend some time with Impa, and Link was sure he would've left the village right after if not for Sword running up to him and grabbing him by the elbow. He was waiting outside and about to go do some foraging while Zelda spoke with Impa, not noticing the young man walking up behind him followed by the rest of his entourage. At the sudden contact, he whipped around, hand clutched over his back and on the hilt of the Master Sword as he pulled free from Sword's grip. The man raised his hands in peace, quickly taking a step back.

"I'm sorry for startling you, but we've been waiting for you for a while now. Can you please take a moment to speak with us?" Link released his grip on his sword, swallowing from under his hood. Something inside of him felt like he was being attracted towards these men, while the more rational part of his mind screamed at him to not interact with such suspicious figures. He frowned, opening his mouth to answer when no sound came out. Odd. Again with this suffocating aura that the group held.

He supposed the group took his lack of response the wrong way, and Scarf glared at him.

"Look," He started, crossing his arms. "It's been, what, two weeks since you left us here? I don't know what you were doing during all this time, but this is definitely more important. Just humor us for a while." Link bit his lip as he lifted his hands. Schools didn't really exist in Hyrule, other than in a select few still-standing civilizations. He didn't think sign language was even taught anymore.

" _Okay,_ " he signed simply. Fidget blinked at him, and One-Eye's eyebrows raised in surprise. Or maybe they were mocking him. " _Talk where?_ "

"Uh," Angry responded dumbly. Link internally snorted. "Can't you just speak?"

"Legend!" Sword chided. Legend? Was that Angry's name? _Thank Hylia_ , he thought. _I'd never be able to take him seriously with a name like 'Angry.'_

Legend shrugged. "What? I don't know sign, I have no idea what he just said other than that first one." Sword glared at him and the man rolled his eyes in response, clearly annoyed.

"I can translate," One-Eye spoke up. All eight pairs of eyes turned to look at him. "He said okay, and he wants to know where we should talk." 

"We're not too familiar with the area," Hair-Band muttered a bit sheepishly. "So you can just bring us wherever is private enough, I guess." Link narrowed his eyes. He was sure that he was about to get ambushed, or something, but they were letting him choose where to go?

He pointed up the hills and to the trees, where Cotera's fountain lay hidden. The villagers never really wandered out that far, and he was sure the great fairy wouldn't mind them having their discussion about whatever it was that they wanted to speak about so badly. He didn't know if great fairies were capable of combat, but maybe the group wouldn't try to gut him with such a figure besides him. 

" _Follow me, we can talk up there,_ " He signed a little quicker before walking past the group as One-Eye translated for them. He didn’t bother to turn around to check if they were still following- he didn't doubt that they were. His suspicions were confirmed as multiple footsteps scrambled after him as he walked at a relatively fast pace up the pathway that led towards where Cotera was resting. A Blupee spotted him and darted off, and he ignored how many of the men startled at the creature's quick movements. He trudged on until the fountain was in sight. He hoped Cotera didn't pop out of it to scare him later. Turning around to face the group as they caught up with him, he dipped his head forwards a bit so that his hood could obscure his face.

" _Talk?_ " He signed as he was met with silence. Sword blinked as One-Eye nodded at him.

"Oh- yes, of course. This may sound absurd, but to start off simple- we're not from around here." Link raised an eyebrow. Well, that made sense. While Kakariko and Hateno were both populated civilizations, a majority of Hyrule's people were wanderers with no true place to call home. He'd probably be more surprised if they had told him that they were settled down somewhere.

" _Are you from Lurelin? Or are you just travelers?_ " He signed, deciding to ask anyways. They most definitely didn't have the traditional fashion style of the citizens of Lurelin Village, but it couldn't help to ask.

"Ah- no, I think you misunderstood us." Misunderstood them? "We're not from Hyrule. Not this one, at least. We all come from different worlds, in different time periods." As Link stared, dumbfounded, Sword gingerly touched the back of his own palm. "All of us possess the hero's spirit. We believe you do as well." Sword gestured to the group. "We all share the same name, Link, so we go by nicknames based off of our hero titles. Hero of Time," He nodded at the one-eyed man. "Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Four Sword, Hero of Warriors, Hero of Hyrule, Hero of Legend, and Hero of the Wind. Time, Twilight, Four, Warriors, Hyrule, Legend, and Wind, respectfully. I'm known as the Chosen Hero, but you can just call me Sky."

He didn't move for a good while, too much in shock to lift his hands to sign. Different worlds? Time travelers? The hero's spirit? They must have gone mad- did they take him for a fool? Even if he lost his memory, there were no records of so many heroes- sure, it was implied that there was an ageless cycle of Ganon’s rebirth, but this was simply ridiculous. At least he had actual names to go by now.

" _Is this meant to be funny?_ " He signed in irritation. " _I'm sorry, but I have things I need to attend to. I must return to Zelda, please-_ " As… 'Time' translated his words, 'Sky' threw his hands out in a desperate manner.

"No, no! We can prove it to you, I understand that all of this sounds as if we were insane. You have the Master Sword on your back, right? Only holders of the hero's spirit can wield her. All of us can draw her blade, not excluding myself. I can show you-"

" _No,_ " He signed quickly as he took a tentative step back as Sky reached towards him slightly. " _You're all insane. You'll burn yourselves._ " Time frowned at him when he finished translating.

"Just hand it over," 'Legend' hissed. "How the hell are we supposed to convince you that we're perfectly sane if you don't _let_ us?"

“You have the Triforce of Courage, don’t you? Look, we have it too-”

He shook his head again, taking another step back as the group all looked at each other with various faces of confusion or frustration. To be honest, he wasn't sure himself as to why he refused to give up the sword. It wasn't like he cherished it, but for some reason it pulled him to it like a magnet. Despite the blasted thing destroying everything that he'd once known, he was drawn to it by some unseen force.

(And maybe, just _maybe,_ he didn’t want this very heavily armored group of trained men to try and gut him after they were burnt by the sword. Just _maybe._ )

As he continued to deny their pleas, 'Warriors' took a loud step forwards, face pinched in exasperation. Link's hands scrambled for the hilt of his sword when the alleged 'hero' drew his own sword, swinging it at him. Link whipped out the Master Sword from his sheath on instinct, prepared to block the blow aimed for his chest-

Searing pain burned through his palms as he dropped the sword instantly, and Warriors' blade halted before it could land a blow on him. Link stared at the dropped Master Sword in betrayal. It had burned him? Why? Had it deemed him so unfit to be its master that it had rejected him once again? 

"Warriors! What the hell?!" Somebody shouted as the man slid his sword back into his sheath, stepping away with a trace of guilt written on his face.

"He wasn't going to let us touch the sword anytime soon!" Warriors shouted back. The man turned to Link who had scrambled away from the sword. "The sword can't be raised against somebody with the hero's spirit. It refuses to hurt its masters. Is that enough proof for you?"

"I'm so sorry, Link! Warriors, you idiot, we could've just talked like normal people-"

Dread pooled in his gut as he cupped his burnt hand. He didn't want to believe them, but they _had_ proved that they were telling the truth. Zelda, who was the only other known person who could wield the sword (up until now) had tried tossing it to him once (a very poor idea, in his opinion) but had instead yelped and dropped it, her palms red with heat. He’d glared at the sheathed sword for the rest of the night.

 _Heroes,_ he thought. _Heroes who had fought Ganon and won, who had saved Hyrule so that the land could prosper for years to come._

None of them had failed. None of them were like him.

Sky reached over to grasp the Master Sword and Link didn’t stop him. If these men were true heroes, then the sword had never belonged to him in the first place. The blade began to glow, pulsing with quiet chimes as Sky closed his eyes. Link watched in fascination. _"The voice inside of the sword," Zelda had said. "I heard it once, but I suppose it's gone quiet now."_

Once Sky opened his eyes, he stared at Link. "She calls you the Hero of Wilds. We all share the same name, so we go by nicknames. Is 'Wild' alright?"

Wild sounded… perfect. It just felt so right, and he couldn't understand why. He nodded his head robotically. Sky smiled.

"We'd like you to join us on our quest across time, Wild," Sky said. "There's some sort of mysterious force that has been causing monsters to have blood the color of shadows, and any monster with this blood becomes much stronger. Together, we can stop this 'infection,' if you may call it so. We travel through different versions of Hyrule, each one in a different era of time." 'Wild' stiffened. A quest? He was right, Hylia was trying to drag him into something again! Was it too much to ask for a normal life? Could he not be granted such a simple wish? No, there was no way he was going to go on another adventure. He couldn't leave Zelda again, not so soon after they'd finally been reunited. The heroes already had eight of them, they had no need for another. They'd fare fine. He shook his head fiercely. Sky frowned.

"I understand that you don't want to, but-" Wild shook his head again, shaky but determined fingers raising to sign a firm 'no.' They'd need to drag him by his cold, dead fingers if they wanted him to join them on their quest.

Legend scoffed. "I don't know if this infection has reached this Hyrule yet, but it will soon. I doubt it will sit well with the hero's spirit if you were to refuse the chance to save your people. That is, if you're a good hero, of course." Wild didn't have a chance to shake his head again when another voice piped in.

Time stepped forwards, levelling him with a sad yet stony glare. "None of us have had a choice. You're eventually going to be forced to come with us. I hate to say it, but we can't take no as an answer. It'll be easier if you say your goodbyes now." His tone held no room for argument, and Wild stiffened. It was the voice of a leader, of a figure of authority. While he couldn't remember most of his past, he could remember some of his knight training. Looking up at this stoic, tall man, all he could think of was _obey._

He didn't know what caused him to suddenly stop shaking and dip his head down for a bow, an action that was purely muscle memory. He didn't know what drew him to wipe his face clear of any emotion, and when he raised his hands to sign. " _I'm sorry, sir. I'll go with you._ "

Time and the rest of the heroes seemed to be taken aback, Time being stunned into silence. Wild wondered if he'd come off as too disrespectful. Time raised a hand as if to push his bowed head back up but stopped, instead frowning.

"I'm… glad that's settled then," He spoke with a hint of uncertainty in his voice though it was still serious. His tone softened a bit. "I understand that you don't want to leave your world behind, all of us never wanted to go on this journey."

Sky nodded from his side, hesitating before sliding the Master Sword into his empty sheath on his back. Wild thought he looked more complete with it. He looked like the sword belonged with him, not with Wild.

"On behalf of Hylia, I apologize. The goddess is not cruel, but she must do what is necessary." At that particular comment, Wild scowled, though his face was still mostly hidden from view.

Before anybody could get another comment in, Dorian ran into view, panting as he barely spared a glance at the other heroes and turned to Wild, trying to compose himself.

"Master Link! We were wondering where you were, thank the Goddesses you're alright- the princess is looking for you. Her business with Lady Impa seems to have come to an end, and she would like to depart soon to Zora's Domain." He quickly reported, and Wild immediately felt regret, sadness and anger at the news. How would he tell Zelda that he was going on another quest with a bunch of strangers? How would she react? He was being forced to leave her in a world she didn't know, and leaving her to attempt to rebuild a long lost kingdom all on her own. He'd have to leave her again, to fend for herself. He was essentially abandoning her and leaving her to the wolves that was Hyrule.

" _Of course,_ " He signed quickly and Dorian only blinked at him in surprise before nodding. The Sheikah bolted back down the hill, with no doubt leaving to inform Zelda. Distantly, he wondered if Dorian would tell her of the odd group of men that were with him.

An awkward silence followed in the absence of Dorian's interruption and Wild wringed his fingers together. Would they be mad if he just… left? Their impression on him seemed to already be soured by the amount of time they'd had to wait here for, and he just wanted the tension in the air to dissipate. What was the right move here? What was the safest thing to do?

He glanced up at Time, whose face was slightly scrunched up in far away thought. He got his attention easily though and began to sign.

" _I must go speak with Zel- the princess,_ " He fumbled a bit. " _I'm sorry for the delay._ " Time only waved him off.

"It's no issue. We'll follow you down." Wild tried not to fidget with his hands as he straightened out his posture, though he was still looking down. Did they not trust him to stay here? Granted, he barely trusted these men either, but it hurt nonetheless that they thought he was a timid animal waiting for any chance of escape.

The minute he spotted Zelda lounging outside of the gates of Impa's home, he saw her relieved smile falter at the sight of the group behind him. She recovered fairly quickly as she plastered on a new, fake one and ran up to him in greeting.

"I was wondering where you had ran off to, Link," She forced a laugh, though if Wild hadn't known her better he probably would've been fooled into thinking it was genuine. Her eyes flickered to the group behind him. "…I take it that you had that 'talk' that you wanted so badly, yes?" Wild spared a glance behind him as the group all shuffled until one of them replied to the apparently-not-rhetorical question.

"Yes," Twilight responded. "Actually, I think W- _Link_ should speak to you about some things. We'll leave you two to privately discuss the matters at hand."

Zelda narrowed her eyes at the man, scrapping her cheerful attitude in turn for a more cold and calculating one. Her glare was searching for more information from Twilight, as if she were picking out every little detail. Protectiveness and slight worry swirled in the confines of her eyes.

"That would be appreciated," She said curtly. "Please give us a moment." She received no disputes as the group took a step back, and then another, and eventually turned away and began to walk towards the back of the village. Zelda followed them with her eyes until they vanished behind a house, and she sighed, sagging as she turned to face Wild with obvious worry.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" She immediately asked and if Wild was less tense he would've huffed in amusement and indignation. Instead, he shook his head and stayed silent, not meeting her eyes. She noticed, of course.

"Please, tell me what's wrong. What happened up there? What did they say to you?" He dug his fingernails into his palms, focusing on the pain of the subsiding burn. He wondered if leaving without a goodbye would've been less painful than this. Zelda only grew more desperate as she examined him. "Where is your blade?"

She draped a hand over his, unfurling them and placing her palms on his as she eased his clenched fingers together. He melted into her touch, emotionless face crumbling as he, too, sagged. It was odd, to see how similar they both really were.

"It's unbelievable," He muttered, voice hoarse. "They claim to all wield the hero's spirits- that they're the Heroes of Old." He huffed in empty laughter. "I believe them. I burnt my hand when I drew the Master Sword on one. One of them- the Chosen Hero- took it." Zelda squeezed his hands encouragingly. He swallowed, knowing what would come next would break her heart. Was Hylia doing this only to torture him, he wondered? Based on her previous cruelties, he would not doubt it.

"I…" He trailed off. What was he to say? He was leaving her all alone to travel with a bunch of long dead heroes? He was abandoning her for an unknown amount of time? He was leaving her to the mercy of the wilds of the world, ones that would do anything in their power to take her from the land of the living? That just after he had freed her from the hell that was her prison, just after they had both promised each other a brighter future, _just_ after they had cried and sobbed and laughed in the wake of their victory after the true gravity of what they'd just _done_ settled in, that he was going to be swept away on something he had no involvement with? Not for the first time that day he cursed the goddesses and the earth and the wind, cursing them for the dirty hand they had been dealt. Everything that he'd done and worked for had all been destroyed in one fell swoop. His struggle to slay Ganon, in hope that finally, _finally_ he could rest, all completely meaningless in the eight faces of what he was meant to be. All of his hopes and dreams meant nothing, in the end. Maybe after this quest was completed, he'd be met with another, and then another and another. As a hero, he mused, his sole purpose was the serve and protect. Hylia did not view him as a Hylian, rather than a weapon.  
  
_Damn it all,_ he thought for not the last time.

"I need to leave." He settled with, voice edging on a crack as it shook though he tried his hardest to keep it flat and levelled. Zelda's grip tightened as silence followed his words with shock and disbelief lying comfortably in the air.

"What?" She said breathlessly. He pulled away from her hands, the lack of warmth against his palms bringing a chill. He fought not to reach for her hands. He didn’t meet her eyes.

"They…” He swallowed. “They need me for a quest, another one. To… do something, I don’t know. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for.”  
  
“...Link…” Zelda whispered, her voice faltering. He forced himself not to look up, not to meet the surely broken face of the princess.

“I’m sorry,” He muttered, fists clenched. He pleaded that he would be able to return soon. Zelda was capable, but he knew all too well the stress and burden that would be placed on her shoulders as she attempted to slowly rebuild Hyrule as well as reclaim the crown to a broken throne.

He half expected her to simply leave him in anger but instead he startled and looked up when a hand was gently laid on his shoulder and another on his chin, pushing his face up to meet Zelda’s. Sadness swirled in her emerald eyes, but understanding did as well. A mournful smile had donned her face, and his heart panged to know that he was the reason she was wearing such an expression.  
  
“I’ll be fine,” She insisted, sliding her hand off of his chin and moved it to his other shoulder once she was sure he would keep his head up. “But… I apologize for doing this, Link, but may I make one last command as your princess?” His eyes widened. Did she mean…?  
  
He nodded wordlessly, slowly lowering himself into a kneel and bow. He glanced up momentarily to catch her grimace, but she kept her composure and held out a single palm at him.

“I, Princess Zelda, Last of the royal family, ” She whispered. “Command you to return to us safely from your quest.” He looked up in surprise to meet Zelda’s nearly playful smirk, and he scoffed silently with a smile.

“Of course, Princess,” He replied, dipping his head back down. Zelda gestured for him to stand, and he did.  
  
“I’m sorry if that was out of line, I know that I have already released you of your role of a knight, but it was necessary,” She smiled. “I know how reckless you can be, and I won’t be there to prevent you from being so. Please try to return in one piece.” Link huffed in exaggerated offense.  
  
“You wound me, Zelda,” He laughed as she shoved his shoulder with a giggle. In the back of his mind, he wondered how and when the tension and sorrow in the air had dissipated so quickly, but he realized that it had never left- rather, they were only trying to cover it up. Their shoving was cut short as Warriors voice called out to him.  
  
“Wild!” He shouted in a near-commanding tone and he stiffened. “We need to leave, hurry!”  
  
Zelda grabbed his hand in an almost desperate manner and he looked at her as she squeezed his hand.  
  
“Don’t worry about me,” She whispered. “You are Hyrule’s light. I believe in you.” His face crumbled.

"I-" He swallowed. "I wanted to- to spend some more time with you," he blurted. She flushed, and only smiled at him as he squeezed her hand back. 

"Me too," She replied simply, before they slowly released their hands. It was anything but a dramatic goodbye, both of them too unsure of how to proceed. He only nodded with a bittersweet smile as a wordless goodbye, hidden below the dark of his hood that he was pulling up again from when it had fallen down during their playful banter. Without a word, he took a step back, then two, before turning hesitantly. He broke into a jog towards the source of the voice, refusing to look back. He knew that if he did, he would never be able to leave. He pretended not to hear the muffled sniffs that were fading into the background behind him. He swiped at his face quickly, before turning a corner to spot the group of men.  
  
The heroes were standing by the village graves, a few even poking the stones, and he tried not to frown at their blatant disrespect. Though, he supposed that the tombstones were not the most… obvious in that they were the markers of the fallen. To an uneducated tourist, they would only look to be an odd cluster of stones.

His attention was immediately taken away from the graves and instead he skidded to a halt as he nearly fell backwards. A large gate, a vortex of black and purple, stood menacingly by the heroes. They seemed unbothered by the… _thing_ and he took a step back.

Warriors looked at him, frowning. “Hey, hey, don’t run off now. That’s just a portal,” He jerked a thumb at the ‘portal’ as if this were a completely normal thing. Then again, it might've been. "I know it can be a little scary at first, but it's just how we travel through our times." Wild flattened out his lips to prevent a frown. Did they think him to be a coward? They hadn't even known him for a full day- was it possible that he had messed up his first impression so terribly? He had hoped they would be more forgiving or understanding when he'd left them here in Kakariko, though he supposed that he, too, would become impatient with the wait.

Warriors cleared his throat and he stiffened, realizing that he'd gone silent without a response for too long. "...well, come on, then- just walk in after us. Expect to be a little dizzy." The heroes began to file into the portal, a few glancing at him with a mixture of curiosity and calculating looks. Wild wondered if he could sprint off now and leave them all behind. There wasn’t really anything that was forcing him to leave Zelda, was there? He had no obligation to follow these men into… _somewhere_ anyways. Even if they were all holders of the hero’s spirit, it wasn’t as if he were bound to them. And with their numbers, he doubted they’d need yet another member to their party. He bit his lip as all but one vanished through the darkness of the portal and considered heading back to Kakariko. He’d just laugh it off, and he and Zelda would be able to ride far, far away from the village and he’d never see the heroes again. A voice from behind him quickly made him freeze before he could even turn the other direction.

"I'll go in after you," Time said, and Wild blinked. His tone wasn't one of malice, nor was it cold, but distrust gleamed in his one open eye. Unexpectedly, seeing it hurt. He wasn't too sure _why,_ it wasn't like he trusted any of them either. They were all strangers to him, and it was only natural to be cautious around each other. His stare was hard, a storm of unreadable emotions and Wild tried not to swallow. This was obviously the leader of the group, if not somebody who had a majority of the authority. Warriors also seemed to have a much more relaxed and… blunt personality, but he held himself like a soldier. He could only assume that both held some sort of leadership over the band of heroes.  
  
He didn’t think Time would harm him if he were to disobey him, but then…

…why was he afraid?

With a sharp nod and a jerky signing of 'yes sir,' he moved in front of Time and hesitated in front of the portal. Inside was darkness, and he wondered where he'd be deposited. He glanced back, towards the mostly hidden Kakariko, and wondered if Zelda was looking back. Time must've noticed his hesitation, because he clapped a strong and firm hand on his shoulder. The action made him flinch slightly, but if the older man noticed it at all he didn't mention such a thing.

"Don't worry," He assured. "You'll be back soon. We switch Hyrules fairly often, and we've all been to each other's worlds by now." Wild stayed silent under the man's grip. Finally, he released him, patting him and pushing him gently towards the portal. Wild took it as his cue to go through.

Stepping through, he didn't really know what to expect. The world around him warped, twisting and flashing as he squeezed his eyes shut to prevent strain. His stomach lurched and he wobbled as the ground beneath him gave way, leaving him in an expanse momentarily. Sound turned to static and then to the noise of voices and nature, and the ground rematerialized into soft grass. He stumbled, eyes snapping open as he just barely managed not to fall to his hands. He steadied himself quickly, looking up to meet a pair of nine eyes.

Time patted him on the back from behind again and he blinked as an unfamiliar woman stepped up from the heroes to greet him. Behind her was a quaint ranch, and Wild tried not to startle. It looked familiar, almost, though he knew such a well-kept ranch couldn't exist in his world. Her face was kind, warm, and welcoming, and held none of the judgement that the heroes often had. He wanted to ask who she was, though he stayed silent as she introduced herself.

"You must be the new one that the others were talking about," She said with a grin. Wild opened and closed his mouth, unsure of how to respond. Did she know sign? His throat was clogged, and as he gave no response, he felt eyes bore into his skin.

"My name is Malon," She placed her hands on her hips. "Link over there is my husband- well, you know him as Time." Wild practically jumped, whirling around to meet Time's face. Husband? The man was smiling, looking only at Malon. Passion swirled in his eyes.

Time nodded, glancing at Wild. "This is my home, Lon Lon Ranch. Make yourself at home, Wild."

"Wild, is it? I'll show you around the ranch!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight. Wild wondered why she seemed to be so excited. He glanced over at the other heroes, who were either discussing something or looking at Malon with amusement. They all seemed to be familiar with her, and he wondered how long they'd known her for.

As Malon whisked him away from the group, he found his tense body loosen up and relax in her company. They had found themselves in the kitchen, where Wild was helping to prepare dinner for the heroes. As he began to cut vegetables, she began to hum, looking at him.

"You've been tense," She murmured, and he looked away, suddenly taking much interest in the vegetables. "I hope you know that you can always find a home here. You're a wonderful boy, Wild, and a wonderful hero, I'm sure." He bit his lip. If only she knew. If only she knew of his failure, the destruction he'd allowed to reduce his Hyrule to ruins.

"Stop that," She chided and he startled, looking up at her with owlish eyes. Stop what? Was he cutting wrong? At his confusion, Malon only huffed in amusement. "I can tell what you're thinking- that look on your face is something all too familiar to me. I've seen it on Link on many occasions." He frowned in further confusion.

"You're being self-deprecative," She explained. "I don't know why, but I've only known you for a bit over an hour and I can tell that you are pure of heart. I don't question your kindness or worth as a hero." Wild paused in his cutting, looking away as Malon's eyes softened. "You've all been through so much, it- it terrifies me, really, to know you boys have suffered like my husband."

He set down his knife, not trusting himself to be able to cut properly with his shaking hands. Malon didn't mention it if she noticed. Instead, she placed one of her hands on his gently. He suppressed a flinch, looking up in surprise.

"Is there a reason why you don't speak?" She muttered. "I know sign well- feel free to communicate with me how you please." His eyes widened. He supposed it made sense, seeing as Time knew sign, but he was still taken aback. 

" _I have some scarring in my throat, but I can speak fine,_ " He signed. " _But- I don't know. It feels like I have a rock in my mouth whenever I try to speak sometimes._ " She hummed in understanding.

"It's only the boys?" She asked, and in embarrassment he nodded. The way she was putting it made him seem as if he were shy or timid. “It’s alright, I won’t pry. But now that we can properly communicate, feel free to ask me anything. You’ve been looking rather curious for a while now.”

He blushed. He fumbled with his hands a bit, wondering if this question was too personal. Would he be considered creepy for asking it? Was he prying? He barely knew Malon and the other heroes.  
  
“ _What’s Time like?_ ” He signed sloppily, his curiosity getting the better of him. Malon looked at him in slight surprise and he felt his ears lower. “ _Sorry- nevermind, that was weird, I-_ ”

Malon waved him off. “No, no, I was just a bit surprised that’s all!” She chuckled. She took her eyes off of him, looking outside of the window and to the cloudless sky. “Link? He’s… well, he’s a sweetheart, really. He always acts so serious, but he’s really just a jokester with a big heart. He doesn’t like to admit it, but the boys have grown on him. I can see it in his eye.” Wild’s eyes widened.  
  
“ _He reminds me of somebody,_ ” He signed, barely thinking of what he was saying. Malon blinked, the mirth in her eyes morphing into curiosity instead.

"Is that so?" She hummed in thought. Wild didn't nod, though he tried to explain himself.

" _I don't… I don't know who, but he feels familiar. Not as if I'd known him once, but his… character feels familiar. It's weird._ " Malon hums again, watching him closely.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked, and he blinked. 

" _I don't know,_ " He tentatively signed, hoping she took no offense. " _I'm not sure._ " Malon only smiled at him.

“That’s alright. You’ll warm up to him eventually. Link is a kind man- he may seem scary at first, but he’d never harm you, Wild.” Wild nodded wordlessly, mulling over the words in his head as he lowered his hands to focus his attention back on his vegetables. What Malon said was obvious- Time was a hero, of course he wouldn’t hurt him. It wasn’t even a concern of his. He wasn’t afraid of the man, or any of the heroes.

~~So then what was this _feeling_?~~

They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing dinner in silence, but Wild found his shoulders falling loose and the ghost of a genuine smile grace his lips.

Cooking had always been a favorite of his, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I couldn't resist sprinkling in a little angst at the end. Yes, I'll write fluff one day.
> 
> One day.
> 
> Next chapter has a bit of action, even more angst (because I'm me) and a handful of plot progression.


End file.
